Further thoughts on the cultural labor of poetry and art. Not merely "is it good?," but "what has it accomplished?"...reviews of recent poetry collections; selected poems and art dealing with war/peace/social change; reviews of poetry readings; links to political commentary (particularly on conflicts in the Middle East); youtubed performances of music, demos, and other audio-video nuggets dealing with peaceful change, dissent and resistance.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Michael Rosen's poem for the children of Gaza

I found a link that shared a poem for the children of Gaza, written by a children's writer from England, Michael Rosen, for a London demonstration against the Gaza invasion. What's interesting to me about it is that, somehow, it shows how a children's writer also can be a capable poet for demonstrations; after all, its syntax is simple, its message is clear, and the focus on the child's point of view brings home the fundamental violence of these attacks--that they are traumatizing a future generation, virtually assuring future attacks.

Poem by Michael Rosen, read out at the London demo today:

In Gaza, children,you learn that the sky killsand that houses hurt.You learn that your blanket is smokeand breakfast is dirt.

You learn that cars do somersaultsclothes turn red,friends become statues,bakers don’t sell bread.

You learn that the night is a gun,that toys burnbreath can stop,it could be your turn.

You learn:if they send you firethey couldn’t guess:not just the soldier dies -it’s you and the rest.

Nowhere to run,nowhere to go,nowhere to hidein the home you know.

You learnthat death isn’t life,that air isn’t bread,the land is for all.You have the right to beNot Dead.You have the right to beNot Dead.You have the right to beNot Dead.

abu ghraib arias

To See the Earth

Behind the Lines: War Resistance Poetry on the American Homefront

About Me

Poetry books and chapbooks include *Pictures at an Exhibition*, *Sand Opera*, *A Concordance of Leaves*, *abu ghraib arias,* *To See the Earth,* *Instants,* *Primer for Non-Native Speakers,* *Compleat Catalogue of Comedic Novelties: Poems of Lev Rubinstein,* and A Kindred Orphanhood: Selected Poems of Sergey Gandlevsky*. Scholarship: *Behind the Lines: War Resistance Poetry on the American Homefront Since 1941.*